The Snow Drop
by aguachica35
Summary: Spoilers for The Future in the Past. How did Booth figure out that Brennan would meet him at the Snow Drop Motel?
1. Chapter 1

**The Snow Drop - Chapter 1**

Summary: Spoilers for The Future in the Past. How did Booth figure out that Brennan would meet him at the Snow Drop Motel?

AN: You will notice a combination of dialog from the show with some dialog from my crazy head sprinkled in. I hope it still keeps in line with the story they were telling. I am not trying to diverge from the story on the screen, just explain some of the missing pieces without being too repetitive with what you already saw on the show.

Pitt Meadows is actually a town in British Columbia, not Virginia. Sticking with that theme, the other "Virginia" towns I mention are also real places in B.C., located near Pitt Meadows.

CHAPTER 1

"Hey, Booth."

"Angela, what are you doing here?"

"Brennan left something at our latest crime scene - a message. She left it for me to find, but I'm pretty sure the message itself is for you." Angela took a breath as she saw the expression on Booth's face harden. "It's a bouquet of snowdrop flowers."

"Oh-kay. Why would you think Brennan left them for you? Or for me? And how are flowers a message?"

He was annoyed. These days, he was almost always annoyed. And while she had gotten used to it for the most part, it didn't make this conversation any more pleasant.

"There were indications that she was at our latest crime scene. Maybe Max was the man who called it in, I don't know. But I do know that all flowers have a meaning associated with them. Snowdrops symbolize new beginnings and hope because they typically bloom at the end of winter, announcing the approach of spring."

His phone beeped indicating a new email. It was from Clark. Remains matching Carol Morrissey, a high school guidance counselor who had been missing for 10 years, had been found in Pitt Meadows, Virginia. The squints had arrived at a site that had already been expertly excavated. Using techniques developed by Dr. Temperance Brennan. They had also discovered several snowdrop flowers placed at the base of a tree very close to the site.

Booth sat staring at the information on the phone in front of him. He took several deep breathes in an attempt to push down what Angela had just confirmed for him. Brennan had chosen to keep in contact with Angela instead of contacting him. He took another deep breath and shook it off. Who she had or had not been contacting these past three months wasn't important right now. It could all be dealt with later, when he had Christine and Brennan back home with him. Right now he had to focus on the clues in front of him, just like she would push him to do if she were here.

Perhaps snowdrop flowers can mean "have hope" to Angela but if this message really was from Bones he had to think more like her. Bones is literal, even hyper-literal at times. He needed to figure out the literal message she had sent to him. She was counting on him to be a cop. This time, he needed to ask himself those 1,000 questions 1,000 times.

He looked at his phone again and studied the words in front of him:

Snowdrop

Carol Morrissey

Missing 10 years

Pitt Meadows, **Pitt Meadows**

**Have hope, Booth. Hope for new beginnings.**

Pelant was from Pitt Meadows, Virginia. He had graduated from high school around 10 years ago. Booth had studied the file enough to know these details by heart. Booth's mantra from so many years ago drummed into his head, **there are no coincidences in a murder investigation**. Pelant knew Carol in high school. Carol was Pelant's victim. Maybe his first. And Brennan had managed to find her. They may not be able to clear Brennan just yet, but at least they could finally get Pelant. But what did that have to do with the snowdrop? That had to mean something. And if he followed the literal path, it could only mean one thing. He finally had a mission.

"Thanks, Ang. See ya later."

Not wanting to chance running into Flynn by heading back into the office or riding the elevator, Booth jumped down the stairs, three at a time, to his car in the garage. He sped out of the lot and headed for I-66. He drove about 10 miles, then pulled off at a busy gas station. Unnoticed by the other patrons, he grabbed the bag with his casual clothes (he'd kept them in the car since Brennan's disappearance, just in case) and hurried to the bathroom along the side of the building. His next stop was a library about a mile down the road. He walked in with a purpose and slyly slid in front of the computer furthest from the main desk. He was never that interested in computers, but since Brennan had left, he'd found himself spending much of his time doing things that had never interested him before, including using computers in libraries to do research. He'd even picked up some of Brennan's books from the shelf and started to read about the effects of human decomposition on surrounding plant life. Booth typed "Snowdrop" and "Pitt Meadows, Virginia" into the search engine. A few ads appeared at the top, and then the match he'd been hoping for. The Snow Drop Motel was located in Maple Ridge, Virginia, a rural town in the Shenandoah Mountains, just outside of Pitt Meadows. He cleared the browser history and checked his watch, it was just after 3. He could be there before dark driving the speed limit. He hadn't wanted to attract any unnecessary attention by speeding from any local cops who Flynn might have on his tail.

One hour into the drive, he convinced himself that it was a good idea to call Cam. Someone at the office was likely to have noticed his sudden disappearance by now and it would be better for Cam to know he was fine in an attempt to deflect any FBI energies being spent to locate him. It was also a good idea for someone other than Booth and Brennan to know that Pelant had gone to the high school where Carol Morrissey had last worked.

"You're on your way there, aren't you?"

"Nope."

"You're lying in case Flynn asks me any questions."

"You know, I don't think anything. I'm on my way to Atlantic City."

To be continued...


	2. Chapter 2

**The Snow Drop - Chapter 2**

Summary: Spoilers for The Future in the Past. How did Booth figure out that Brennan would meet him at the Snow Drop Motel?

AN: Thanks for the reviews! And sorry for the "**" that appeared in the middle of the text. I'm using a new writing tool and am still getting used to how it converts when I post onto FF.

Also, forgot to add my note that I don't own the characters, just borrowing them for a bit.

The front parking lot of the dingy Snow Drop Motel was empty, so after locating the office in a small two-story building to the left of the main complex, he pulled around to the back of the building to park. As he walked up to the office, he could see a woman, likely around 40, but whose worn face made her look closer to 50 sitting behind the desk. At the sound of the corny door chime, she flicked her eyes up from an old tube television that was blaring a day-time talk show.

"Yeah, you want something, hon?"

"Well, I'd like to get a room for the night."

"Really? Someone who looks like you shouldn't be staying in a place like this."

"Yeah, well, I am. How much for a room away from the street?"

"$39, pay in advance. Cash only." She used her long, plastic nail to point to a faded sign next to the cash register. He handed her two twenties and she handed him back the key. "Hey, you didn't do no crime or nothing, did ya? I mean, we sorta have a 'don't ask, don't tell' policy here, but I don't want to have any gun fights or nothin' tonight, ya got it?"

"No gun fights, right." The gun in the holster hidden below his shirt was suddenly poking in his side. "You have my word."

"Well, someone's looking like you, then your word probably worth somethin'."

"I noticed there aren't a lot of cars in the lot. Is anyone else staying here right now?"

"Well sure, hon. We have Colonel Michaels (he ain't really a Colonel, of course), who stays in Room 102 and then Jackie Moran who is in 105. But they'll be at the bar on Main Street 'til closing time."

"Okay, well, there may be a woman who comes by in a while asking about me. Can you tell her my room number? It might also be a man…"

"A woman, OR a man? What sorta thing you up to, hon?"

He managed to crack a small smile, grabbed the key numbered 112 and headed back outside. His room was around the corner from all of the others which he was happy would afford him and his guest the privacy he was hoping they would need. A warm rush ran through him at the thought of just holding her again. Seven years might not have been that bad in the end, but three months was killing him.

If Brennan was going to meet him tonight, and that was still a big IF in his mind, then she would have already known the two "regular" motel guests and which rooms they were in, Max would have seen to that. Heck, Max was probably at the "bar" having a drink with the "Colonel" and Mr. Moran right now, he chuckled to himself at the thought of Max talking their ears off and buying more rounds to keep them away from the Snowdrop.

Booth walked around to Room 112 and took as little time to unlock and enter the door as possible. He left the door unlocked behind him, threw his bag on the floor and flicked on the lights. It was just getting dark and he wanted to make sure it was clear to her which room was his. He looked around, trying to figure out where to sit and wait. He didn't know how long it would be, but he was going to need to be on alert. Booth wasn't even sure that it was Brennan who would be showing up tonight. It could be Max trying to get him a message. Or he could end up sitting here until morning by himself. He pulled the gun from its holster, gently placed it on the nightstand with his wallet and decided to prop himself up on the bed. He would look casual to anyone passing by the window, but would have the advantage if anyone tried to come through the door. Of course, he was anything but casual inside.

He decided not to turn on the tv so he sat in silence and waited. In his day-to-day life, he wasn't a "sit in silence" kind of person. He liked background noise, whether it be a hockey game or music. Something he and Brennan had more than one disagreement about over these past months of living together full time. She preferred to sit with a book or quietly typing on her laptop. These activities, she would insist, didn't require music, television or any other external noise. Disagreements such as this one had become nothing more than an acknowledgement of their differences and how they could still manage to coexist in the same house. He would watch tv or listen to music in the living room while she would head upstairs to her office to work on a book.

Right now, he'd give anything to hear something more than cars flying down the highway, even if it was a page turning or keyboard keys. Right now, he'd give anything not to be forced back into his own thoughts about what had happened in the last 3 months and what might happen in the next 30 minutes. He was angry, he could admit that to himself, at least. Angry that she left, angry that she took Christine with her and angry that he'd lost (at least) 3 months that he was never getting back. He understood why she left but that didn't temper the angry one bit. But sitting here, waiting for her and allowing that anger to bubble to the surface wasn't going to do either of them any good. He had to push that back down for now, maybe forever. So he shifted his thoughts to her instead.

He reached over and pulled out a photo from his wallet. It was his favorite picture of Bones with Christine taken right after they'd come home for the first time. He'd printed another copy after Parker "borrowed" it for his little art project and placed it in a secret fold in his wallet. He'd found himself pulling that photo out often, which was something new for him. Even in his time away in Iraq and Afghanistan he'd never been a guy who relied on pictures of his loved ones to get him through. He was focused in his work, and that focus sometimes meant giving up the emotional connection to home that looking at a photo can provide. Of course, he'd always kept a photo of Parker in his wallet and some photos on his phone, but he'd never before felt the need to pull them out and look at them for comfort. But this photo was already mashed at the corners from the number of times he'd slipped it out to take a quick look. As had happened many times in the past three months, he found himself tearing up a bit at the sight of the baby in the blanket and quickly moved to get his composure. He pushed the photo back into its spot in the wallet and threw the wallet over onto the duffle on the floor. He didn't know exactly what was about to happen. He needed to focus and thinking about Christine was not going to help.

Booth had been sitting on the bed staring at the bed spread for almost an hour when he saw a figure pass in front of the window. The figure moved so fast, even with his preparation, he was startled. He jumped up and grabbed the gun from the nightstand. The door started to open and he saw painted nails bend around the door as she pushed it open. She didn't normally paint her nails, it wasn't good for her work, but gun drawn, he waited to move, still expecting to see the contour of her face, her ivory skin, her brown hair, anything to confirm who it was on the other side. Instead, he saw a flash of bright blond hair and his instincts kicked in before he even had control. He grabbed the hand and pulled the woman into a wrestling move. She fought back and before 5 seconds had passed, he had her pinned to the floor, ready to take a punch. As his fist drew back to gain momentum, he glanced and caught Brennan's clear blue eyes staring back at him.

To be continued...


	3. Chapter 3

**The Snow Drop - Chapter 3**

Summary: Spoilers for The Future in the Past. How did Booth figure out that Brennan would meet him at the Snow Drop Motel?

AN: Thanks for the reviews, favorites and follows! I read a lot of M, but am not quite ready to go there myself. I guess this is more romantic than anything. I hope it is enough and doesn't disappoint.

I don't own the characters, just borrowing them for a bit.

"I knew you'd come." Brennan smiled up at Booth as she placed her palms firmly on his chest. "You are the best FBI agent, after all." Booth looked down at her and for a moment, all of the hurt and anger that had consumed him for the past three months melted. He crashed his lips down into hers and the only emotion he felt was relief that she was once again in his arms.

He lifted up from her slowly and with a serious tone in his voice asked, "Christine, is she okay?"

"Yes, yes. I'm sorry I didn't bring her with me. I know how much you must miss her and want to see her. I wasn't sure if you'd even be here and I didn't want to chance being seen…" Brennan noted the concerned look on his face, and quickly added, "…she's with my dad. He's going to bring her by in the morning."

"The morning, right. Don't you need to feed her?"

"Oh, she's been taking a bottle for the past month or so. I would have preferred to breastfeed longer but with all of the travel it became very difficult. Dad wasn't with us the entire time, you know, sometimes we had to sleep in the car and I didn't have anywhere to pump or store milk…" Brennan caught the look on his face and realized she had just said something painful. She was reminding him that Christine had continued to reach milestones without him there to celebrate them. She expected him to say something of that nature, but instead he surprised her.

"So we have tonight then?"

"Well, yes," she smiled. "We have tonight. That is, if you still want to be with me after everything."

"Are you kidding? I can't imagine being anywhere else with anyone else. But we should get up off this floor. I'm not being much of a gentleman." Booth pulled her up and pulled her tightly into his arms.

They stood there holding each other for several minutes before he realized that although they may finally be together, things still were not safe. More abruptly than he might have liked, he pushed her toward the bed and set about locking the door, closing the drapes and turning off all but one light in the back corner of the room. She sat watching him nervously. He sat down next to her, turned toward, pulled her into his chest. She relaxed her muscles into him and put her arms around his back. They stayed that way, silently holding each other as though letting go would make the other disappear.

"I'm sorry, Booth. I am so sorry…so, so sorry," her voice quivering as she spoke.

"I know, I understand why you left. It's okay. Let's not worry about that right now." Even if he'd wanted to worry about it, other parts of his brain were quickly taking over. Of course, he hadn't been with anyone else while she was gone, but he'd also been completely celibate, probably for almost as long as any time in his life. The feel of her close to him was sending his long-buried arousal into overdrive.

He gently laid her back on the bed and pushed a hair from her face. He kissed her again, gently at first but it quickly became more passionate, and, if he was being honest with himself, a bit more aggressive. _Calm down, Seeley_, he warned himself. _You don't know what she's been through or how she's feeling right now._ He pulled away from her again so they were facing each other.

"So, you're blond now. That is something to get used to," he tried to lighted the mood. Of course, being Brennan, she didn't pick up on it.

"That was my dad's idea, not mine. Since Christine has blond hair he thought no one would question it. I admit it's not a very attractive shade on me."

"You could be bald and you'd still be attractive, Bones."

"Well, you have had a thing for blondes in the past…" She said with a crooked smile.

He rolled his eyes in response. "You know what? You are the only person I have a 'thing' for and I don't care if you're blonde or brunette or whatever. You are the most beautiful woman in the world to me. I just don't want to be away from you like that again…"

"Dad wasn't ready for me to get in touch with you yet, but I had to, Booth. I just can't keep going on like this." She leaned toward him and with tears running down her face, pressed her lips lightly against his.

"Let's not think about that now, okay? You are here, I am here, we are together…let's just be together tonight and not think about everything else."

And with that, they fell into each other like they had some many times before.

The end?


End file.
